TIJUANA, Mexico – The Trump administration has been making big changes to immigration policies, cracking down on the border and even shutting down the CBP One app that many migrants were using in an effort to gain lawful entry into the U.S.
The CBP One app, which allowed nearly a million migrants to schedule their entry into the U.S., was abruptly canceled on day one.
Oscar Ramirez, a Mexican journalist, recalled the chaos of that day. “On the Inauguration Day, around 12:00 East Coast time, we were at a port of entry in Chaparral. We saw 300 to 400 migrants with CBP One appointments. Immediately after Trump was inaugurated, the app was canceled, and all appointments were gone.”
For migrants who fled dangerous conditions in countries like Venezuela, the suspension of the app has been devastating. Many had already been waiting in Mexico for months, hoping for a legal route into the U.S.
Venezuelan migrant Oscar Marcaibo shared his frustration. “We applied on November 28, and our application was approved on January 5. However, after President Trump’s announcement, everything changed. We are still waiting here,” he said.
At the border, the impact of the policy shift is visible. The once-busy crossing here in Tijuana was a location where the CBP One system used to bring in thousands of migrants. Now, migrants who hoped to enter through legal channels are left stranded.
The Trump administration has also ramped up deportations, with hundreds of migrants being sent back daily. Many of those deported had spent thousands of dollars to enter the U.S. illegally, only to be captured and returned.
Robert Maynes, a cab driver, described the emotional and financial toll. “Most of them did come in and were able to get flights out of El Paso or buses, but many stayed because they didn’t have transportation. I see a lot of them throughout El Paso, asking for money. Mothers with small children—it’s sad because you can only do so much,” he said.
As deportations increase, the cost of crossing the border illegally has reportedly tripled, along with a rise in violence. At the San Ysidro border crossing in Tijuana, CBN News observed migrants being deported after paying large sums to cartels for dangerous routes into the U.S.
Some of the people paid $15,000 to the cartels in order to get into the United States through the mountain passes that are east of Tijuana. But they say that the Border Patrol was using drones and ATVs and captured them almost immediately.
Cartels who profit from smuggling migrants are also feeling the pressure of the crackdown. In places like Tapachula, reports indicate increased gunfights as smugglers adjust their operations to counter the new policies. Oscar Ramirez observed, “The cartels’ pockets are being hurt, and they’re agitating. In Baja California, the National Guard is now patrolling hotspots where smuggling was rampant. Without legal channels, migrants are being forced into more dangerous situations.”
On the ground in Tijuana, construction has resumed on a taller border wall. Just a few steps from the Pacific Ocean, here on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexican border, you can see the old fence, and the new fence that’s going in is twice as tall. The construction has restarted since Trump took office, wasting no time in securing this border.
For many migrants, the future remains uncertain. Oscar Marcaibo, a Venezuelan migrant, shared his dilemma. “We’re considering returning to Venezuela because staying here is unsustainable. But I have faith something will change, and the U.S. president will have a good plan for migrants.”
The Trump administration, meanwhile, remains firm in its stance, emphasizing that it is just getting started in its efforts to remove illegal immigrants already in the U.S. An empty border crossing stands as proof that these policies are making an immediate impact.
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